A New SOLDIER
by Swiggey
Summary: ShinRa is being rebuilt after the latest wars. Marlene remember Cloud telling her stories of how he was in SOLDIER, and she leaves to join SOLDIER at twenty one, wanting to be like her hero.
1. Mako Reaction

Authors Note: I do not own any Final Fantasy VII, or remake, characters, nor do I WANT to own them. Nomura most likely worked his ass off coming up with the character concepts. Anyway! Summary cap of this lovely little fanfic… Marlene turns twenty-one and joins SOLDIER. Imagine away~

* * *

It was rather quiet in the Seventh Heaven that morning. Even though it was nearing around seven AM, which seemed quite early to others, that was rather late of Tifa to be asleep. What was even stranger was how Cloud was asleep…under the same roof as everyone else. Cloud and Tifa now shared a room, which was located on the right after you reached the top of the stair case. Down the hall was a new extension to the attic above the bar. Denzel and Marlene had shared the room for quite some time. The young male and female never made a complaint, or ever bickered, on this setup. Cloud and Tifa found it strange…but never seemed to look into it.

_The brown-headed boy stared at the calendar for an eternity. His focus was toward the rather vibrant red X that stuck out from the white background. The alarm several feet beside him flashed from 11:59 P to 12:00 A, and sent out a rather obnoxious beeping noise. Denzel jumped, falling off of the bed from surprise. He scrambled quickly back to his feet and slammed down his hand on a button on the clock, silencing the alarm for now. He thrust his hands into his pockets, digging out a crumbled up piece of paper with a note scribbled on it. _

_He stood in front of his bed for several minutes, reading the note to himself several times, contemplating on if he really wanted to do this or not…  
_

_Cloud, Tifa, and Marlene, too. I feel like I've given everyone here so much trouble. You always did say that once I reached 18, I could do as I pleased, so…I'm leaving. It'd probably make everyone's lives a little more peaceful. I'm not sure where I'll be going, but…"Goodbye."_

_He took in a deep, and held it for several seconds, pressing the note hard against his white T-shirt with a maroon stripe across the chest, smoothing out the crinkles in the paper. Slightly parting his lips, Denzel let out a long, silent sigh, and dropped the note on the bed, then turned toward the door. Without taking even a single step, he turned toward Marlene, who was sleeping rather soundly. "Marlene…"_

"_Marlene?_ Marlene…" President Rufus of ShinRa Incorporated delicately pressed his fingers on the end of the glass needle, pushing the end of it toward his body, suctioning up pure Mako energy from a reactor chamber built into the surgical room. Soon, the needled completely filled with a strange, sea-green glowing color that shifted to sea-blue, and back. Several feet away from the "Mako station", was Marlene Wallace Strife, registered as Marlene Walife. She was strapped down to an operating table with several rather bright lights blinded her vision.

Rufus strolled over to her from the station, and took a firm hold of the girls' arm and moved the glass needle toward Marlene's flesh rather slow. He pressed the pointed end of the needle against the artery slightly below the fold of the elbow, and gave a gentle push, allowing the needle to pierce through the skin and into the vein. As soon as Rufus felt the needle enter the blood vein, he continued to hold the needle still, and moved his thumb to the end of the needle, pushing gently, sending a burst of Mako energy to enter Marlene's blood stream.

Marlene winced it pain, with reflexes trying to send her into a jerk-around state, only to be held back by the restraints that covered her entire body. She took several deep breathes, and tightened her eyes shut, trying to focus herself away from the pain coursing through her body. Eventually, the pain caused from the Mako energy coursing through her body seemed to fade into numbing her body. The once fully brown eyes slowly opened, revealing brown eyes with a green glow around the pupil. The overhead light staring directly back at her continued to blind her vision, causing yellow and green dots to appear every now and again.

"The surgery is complete, Marlene. Your level one training begins tomorrow, bright and early. Go home, and rest for a while, and I'll come by to check up on you, okay?" Rufus pressed a button on the side of the surgical table, causing the straps to simultaneously snap released, and fly through the air to the other side, and reel back up into their cases before they appeared hidden, as normal. He placed his right hand on Marlene's back, and gently lifted her up. Her slightly tilted his head, and gave Marlene a slight smile, but stared at her with a questioning look. "…?"

Marlene was barely able to sit up as Rufus helped her up; the Mako energy had caused so much pain to her nerves, that she was barely able to move…for now. _Wait a minute…_ She quickly looked up to stare at a Rufus staring at her, smiling. "Are you normally this kind to your SOLDIER patients, Rufus…sir?" She narrowed her eyes, glaring at the President for several seconds, then let her eyes drop shut from being tired. Taking in a deep breath, she let her head drop, then shook it, opening her eyes again. "Uagh, okay. I got it. I'll see you later then…thank you."

The dirty-blonde quirked an eyebrow at the young woman, gave another smile, and shook his head as well. "Whatever suits you, my dear. Until then, farewell." He walked toward the wall, and flashed his identification card toward a black screw that was much more noticeable from the rest of the wall color. The wall slid open, but only far enough and high enough from the man to walk though, and disappear up a staircase. The wall slammed shut with a loud scraping and thud against the metal floor.

The brunette looked up, noticing that Rufus seemed to have just…vanished. Her hair hand grown quite a bit, compared to when she was just seven years old. Now, her hair rested at her waist, when braided. At the top of her braid, as usual, was a pink ribbon. It swished and felt like silk, but kept its composure like it was made from cotton, or something more durable. Somehow she was able to find the same apparel she wore as a child—white sweater, white embroidered skirt, white tennis shoes, and pink socks. How she did it, no one knows. The simple fact, that Marlene told everyone, was every time the article of clothing became too tight, she would release a stitch or two, so she could still wear it as she become older. At least…that's what she always claimed.

The twenty-one year old hopped off the table, shocked at how she was able to stay standing. Just as soon as she landed the electronic door leading toward the room slide open, making a compressed air sound. She took in several deep breathes, staring at the ground, cursing at herself. _Shit! I can't defend myself like this…I can barely defend myself with Cloud's…_ She narrowed her eyes, staring at the reflection on the ground. It looked blurry, and wavy, but she saw strands of yellow, spikes, and black. "_Cloud…?_ Cloud!" Marlene quickly looked up, but jumped back at what she saw, wanting to reach for the Buster Sword she still had trouble using.

Cloud stood at the doorway, his blue eyes narrowed from age, and from being in a recent battle. His hair was still spiked and ruffled, but had an addition of grey strands of hair. His face still lacked a smile, but was joined by a wrinkle or two from age, as well. His clothes remained the same: black sweater, black military pants, strange skirt-like thing that wasn't needed…he was missing something, Marlene could tell. His shoulder guard! Cloud felt that he didn't need it anymore, not in everyday life. It had been kept in storage now for at least five years, only taken out to polish it up a bit. There was a strap wrapped around Cloud's chest though…the Buster Sword sheathe.

Cloud's hands didn't wield the normal leather gloves he wore, but instead, were plain. In his right hand, he held a ShinRa guard by the collar of his shirt, and in his left hand, he held a ShinRa guard by the collar of his shirt. He threw both guards up against the wall, staying silent, and listened to the noise of the guards smacking their body's and helmets against the wall, and sliding to the floor. Cloud's eyes followed his wavy reflecting in the freshly buffed floor, and then trailed along Marlene's reflection, until he was able to make contact with his claimed daughter.

"Marlene!" Spikey rushed forward, noticing the buckling in the girls' knees. No matter how angry Cloud was with the girl right now, he was still worried about her. Plus, a promise to Barrett was a promise to Barrett, no matter what. He swung his left arm back, and held out his right arm, allowing the girls stomach to fall over her wrist. He let out a sigh, placing his left hand on Marlene's back, and moved his right hand behind the girls' knees, swooping her up into the air. He didn't bother looking for the Buster Sword just yet…he had something more important on his mind: getting Marlene home.

Several of the guards Cloud had knocked out while intruding into the surgical ward of ShinRa Incorporated were starting to regain consciousness.

One waiting at the elevator leading down to where Cloud had parked the Fenrir was able to stand, and pointed a military issued rifle at Cloud, at aimed it at Cloud. "St…stop! Or I'll shoot! I mean it!" The guard pressed his back against the wall, sliding in front of the elevator, before Cloud gave a death-glare at the guard.

"Move aside! This SOLDIER is going home…" Cloud narrowed his eyes at the guard, letting out a low growl. It was obvious Cloud was referring to Marlene. Even after several more steps, the guard still didn't move, but instead, aimed the barrel of the gun at Cloud's head. It was obvious the guard was nervous from his shaking hands and fast-paced breathing.

Cloud let out a rather irritated sigh, and placed Marlene gently on the ground. He started to take a step toward the guard and stopped, letting out a mumble. Unstrapping the Buster Sword sheathe, he threw it over Marlene. That would at least slow down any bullets that were fired, if the guard was stupid enough to do so. Cloud stood several feet in front of the guard, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Make your move, buddy." Cloud threatened toward the guard, glaring at him.

The guard cocked his gun, and pressed his finger against the trigger of the rifle, hesitating whether to shoot or not. "Oh, I see…I see!" Cloud rushed forward before the guard could react, and grabbed the barrel of the rifle, jamming it hard against the guards' chest, knocking the wind out of the man. As the guard heaved for a breath, Cloud placed his hand on the back of the guards' neck, and raised his own knee, slamming the guards' forehead down on it, knocking him out again. Cloud shook his head and returned to Marlene, grabbing the Buster Sword sheathe, and strapped it back around his chest before scooping Marlene back up.

Several moments later, Cloud emerged from the elevator, and strode over toward the Fenrir with a glare in his eyes. He almost didn't acknowledge Tifa waiting for him on his custom motorcycle as he swiped as leg over the hulking vehicle and drug Marlene in front of him. He placed his hands on the handles of the Fenrir, cranking the motor several times, waiting for Tifa to say something. Several seconds later, Tifa wrapped her arms around Cloud, and pressed her cheek against his back. Cloud started to look back at the rather busty brunette, but stopped himself. Instead, he revved the engine to the Fenrir several times before speeding off in the direction of the Seventh Heaven Bar in the slums.


	2. Ouch

Authors Note: I do not own any Final Fantasy VII, or remake, characters, nor do I WANT to own them. Nomura most likely worked his ass off coming up with the character concepts. Anyway! Summary cap of chapter one, if you're too damn lazy to read -__-

Marlene has a flashback of when Denzel left. When she awaked, Rufus injects her with Mako energy, the rather well-known surgery that SOLDIER's have to endure. Just as the surgery is completed, Cloud shows up at the doors of the surgical room and ends up taking Marlene home.

* * *

Cloud tightened his grip around the handles of the Fenrir, looking to the side to avoid the mini dust-storm encasing the trio for several seconds, and then allowed them to ride with a clear sight. Cloud's left hand was still wrapped tightly around the handle of the Fenrir, while the right moved around Marlene's waist, holding her in place before the rough ride ahead.

Tifa slightly peered around Cloud's shoulder, and noticed him moving his hand around the unconscious girls' waist. She narrowed her eyes, quickly digging her claw-like nails through his sweater and into his flesh. "Cloud!" She raised her voice, having to yell over the bulky vehicles' roaring motor. "She's a quarter of your age. Don't even thin—"

Without a second thought, Cloud narrowed his eyes, turning his head and glared at the brunette behind him from the corner of his eye. Without even a warning, Cloud barely tilted to the right, causing the Fenrir to slightly tilt, and turn sideways, for several seconds. He sharply leaned back to the left, wrapping his arm tighter around Marlene's waist, sending Tifa flying off the motorcycle, and rolling into the dirt. A slight smirk etched its way across Cloud's face as he eventually slid the Fenrir to a halt in front of the Seventh Heaven Bar…the owner lying on the ground, covered in scrapes and dust. Bugs too, most likely.

The brunette was sent flying off of the motorcycle from the sudden switch in direction, and impacted the ground hard. The first crash against the ground sent a rather sharp rock into her knee, slicing in deep. After the first hard impact, Tifa bounced up, and rolled in the air, hitting the ground a second time, but not as rough, and was followed by a roll. The leather pouch she wore in front of her lap wrapped around her legs, causing her to buckle her knees together. This little bondage trick, not meant to happen, caused a few more scrapes on Tifa than Cloud had wanted. Eventually the brunette rolled to a stop. Her hair covered in dust, a bug or two, and greatly tangled. Her skin was mixed with rock indentations, blood, scrapes, and bruises.

Cloud grabbed the keys in the ignition of the Fenrir, and stuck them in his pocket, then scooped Marlene up in his arms, and dismounted the motorcycle. He continued to have a smirk on his face as he walked up to Tifa and stopped. His smirk faded, and the glare returned. "Only you…" He scoffed, and continued to walk toward the Seventh Heaven Bar, and kicked the door open, letting it slam shut.

_Cloud…Nngh._ She pressed her hands hard against the ground, and lifted herself up, not even bothering to dust herself off. The gash in her knee was numbed by the pain. Tifa took one step, noticing a limp. _No way, no how! Cloud is not seeing me hurt…again._ She tightened her fists, causing her fingers to pop one after another, and continued to walk. Her eye twitched with every step, but at least she didn't limp. Eventually, the dust covered brunette made it to the door, and gently pushed it open, letting it shut quietly. Her attention was averted directly above her as she heard footsteps from what seemed the ceiling. _…Marlene's room. Tifa, he was protecting is daughter. You're so…whatever._ She made her way to the steps, and climbed them with all of her might as her knee decided to spit out a little bit of blood.

Spikey stood at Marlene's bed, still holding the young adult in his arms, scanning the area. Her bed was still made, and she still kept Denzel's made, too. _She's so naïve…innocent. Dammit! I should have been able to stop her from this. I should have been able to—_ He quickly sat Marlene down as he heard the bell downstairs ring from the door opening. Cloud rushed toward Marlene's doorway, and stopped, letting out a sigh of relief as he just saw Tifa's figure walking down the hallway…without a limp?

Marlene's vision was filled with a white brightness, until a small blue-green dot appeared in the center of her vision. She tried to narrow her vision to get a clearer view, but couldn't. She wasn't staring at the object…she was dreaming it. Several wisp-like objects emerged from the round object, and spread across Marlene's entire vision. They seemed to wave, like water. _No…the Lifestream. But, why…_ The words '_but, why'_ echoed in Marlene's head for several minutes before she realized where they were coming from—Tifa.

"But why would you let her go off and do something like this, Cloud? You know damn well she's an independent girl, and doesn't know better! What would Barrett say?!" Tifa placed her hands on her hips, balancing all of her weight on her right leg before crossing her arms in front of her chest. She was still battered and bruised, and showed no intentions of going off to heal herself anytime soon. "Well?" When the brunette gave a person a scolding, she was the range, and the person was the skillet. You just knew it was going to hurt.

Instead, Cloud brushed away the threatening voice, and delicately grabbed Tifa's arm, and pulled her toward him, pressing her chest on his. The woman squirmed for a bit, but eventually relaxed, accepting the warmth of her childhood friend, and the kindness in his grasp. Not long before Tifa had relaxed in Cloud's little…embrace…he spun her around, slamming her down hard against the bed, and reached into the table beside the bed, and reached inside, pulling out a small wooden box.

Tifa gasped, and started thrashing about before Cloud slammed his fist against the woman just hard enough to knock the air out of her. "Stay still, shut up, and take it." He opened the box, and pulled out a blue and white package, and tore it open as the brunette laid still on the bed, breathing in deep to catch her breath. Even though Tifa slightly shook her head, Cloud moved over her, letting out a slight chuckle, and threw the package behind him. He unrolled the object in his hand, and held it in front of Tifa.

She tightened her eyes shut, and jerked her head away, slightly tearing. The tears swelled more as the object touched her and burned for a quick second, and eventually numbed away.

Cloud quirked an eyebrow at the woman, continuing to wrap the gauze around Tifa's leg, knowing the anti-bacterial solution built into the bandage was burning the gash on her knee. It was most likely infection, being their luck. Several minutes later Cloud finished bandaging his friend up, and wiped off any dust still caked onto the woman's skin. He moved to her hair, combing his fingers through the soft brown locks, pulling out small debris from the roll.

She tightened her eyes shut, slightly shaking her right hand before clenching it tight, fighting off the tears. _Yeah…I'm sorry, too. Cloud._ She felt the man lift himself from her bed and plop down on his, several feet away from hers. Tifa wanted to let out a sigh…but didn't. _When will you try, Cloud? I give you so many signs every day. Is it a memory? Or me?_ The brunette closed her eyes, thinking to herself several thoughts of the friend she held so close to her heart of the years, even now. The thoughts reeling around in her head eventually faded into a slumber.


	3. Turks?

Authors Note: I do not own any Final Fantasy VII, or remake, characters, nor do I WANT to own them. Nomura most likely worked his ass off coming up with the character concepts. Anyway! Summary cap of chapter two, if you're too damn lazy to read -__-

Um, how to not give anything away? Cloud arrives at the Seventh Heaven Bar, but Tifa says something to upset it. Usually, he doesn't act out against his dear childhood friend, but this time he does. After setting Marlene in bed, he goes off to take care of Tifa. :3 Please, read!

* * *

The twenty-one year old slightly tightened her eyes shut, and lifted her hand up, blocking out the sun that decided to invade into her room. _The…sun? Oh, no!_ Marlene sat up, shooting her head over to the side, widening her eyes at the time. "Oh no, oh no! It's already past nine, and I haven't left yet? Gah! I won't be able to…huh?" She looked around her room, slightly confused. Her right leg was vibrating. Why was her leg vibrating? Marlene reached down, searching skirt for a pocket. "Uweh!" She forgot about the leg holster she had bought from the SOLDIER store! It was useful for carrying weapons, like guns, daggers, thrown objects, and phones!

She reached into the holster strapped to her leg, and pulled out a pink and silver phone with dots and butterflies on it. Marlene flipped her SOLDIER issued phone open, and pressed in gently to her ear. "Hello?"

"It is?" Marlene pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at the screen for several seconds, feeling retarded for not checking the call display.

She slightly nodded, almost forgetting that you have to actually speak through the device. "Uh-huh."

"Uh, sure!" Just as soon as the girl hung up the phone, she gasped, dropping it on the bed. _Marlene Wallace-Strife?! I registered as Walife. Oh, no…_ She returned her phone back to the holster strapped to her leg, and left her room. As she stepped out of the doorway, she stared down the hall, toward Tifa and Cloud's room. _Still asleep, good!_ She made her way downstairs, and noticed four people in the room.

The first: a tall African American, dressed in full black. It seems the man had a clean head-shave every day, and kept his beard and mustache neatly trimmed. His eyes were hidden behind stealth-black sunglasses, and his hands were crossed in front of his lap. _He looks serious. I don't want to ever get in his way…_

The second: a mid-height Caucasian, dressed in full black. His vibrant red hair was pulled back into a bull-whip tail, and the front was recklessly spiked in all sorts of manners. His face had tattoos on his cheeks, and he wore goggles on his forehead. While he was looking at the random pictures Marlene drew as a little girl, he tapped his nightstick on his shoulder, continuously. _I can tell he has a bit of a playful setting going on there. Wish he wouldn't touch my drawings!_

The third: rather short compared to the other men. The only difference was this one was a woman, and she had lovely red hair. Her stance was similar to the man with stealthy glasses, but her demeanor didn't appear as…threatening. _Phew, good! I'm not the only female in this party._

The fourth: he sat in a wheelchair, a spotless white cloth draped over his entire body. There was no need for the President to hide his physical appearance anymore. Geostigma was cured…perhaps it was just to protect his identity when out in public.

"Marlene Wallace-Strife, or should I said Walife? I would like you to meet some of our key Turks. Cissnei, she's one of the few females in this organization that actually does a good job. No matter the assignment, she'll complete it. No questions asked." The red headed female slightly nodded her head, and gave Marlene a gentle smile.

Slightly twitching her eye, Marlene tried to ignore the gentle smile. No one spoke or moved for several moments, until Marlene cleared her throat and made her way to Cissnei, and thrust out her hand. "Hi! I'm Marlene; it's nice to meet you!"

Rufus chuckled at Marlene as Cissnei didn't budge, but instead, took a step back. "Sorry, Marlene. Not everyone is the welcoming type." He watched as Marlene stepped away from Cissnei, back to her original spot. "Next up is Rude. He may not seem the type to be alive, but once he gets to know you, he'll speak some. Note, that is some, not a lot. He's a rather shady guy, actually." Before Marlene could even try to make her way to Rude, the red head admiring the child drawings rushed over, nearly knocking off a drawing of Denzel from the counter.

"Hey, watch it!" Marlene glared at the red head, and rushed over to the picture of Denzel, petting it, as if it were a pet. _I know you're out there. I'll find you! I…promise._ The girl turned back to Reno, a glare on her face. "I remember you two! Especially you, Reno!" The twenty one year old sounded almost like she was seven again, and her face seemed to look like the innocent little girl. "You're reckless! You don't take things seriously! You're not careful! And…" Marlene walked over to Reno, placing her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. She thrust her arms around the rather tiny man, embracing him.

"Augh!" Reno quickly lifted his arms as Marlene hugged him. He looked at Rude, tilting his head. No response from the starky man…Reno looked back at Marlene, then at Cissnei, and back to Marlene. "You can let go now, yo?"

"Huh? O-oh!" Marlene quickly stepped back from Reno, slightly blushing at the moment. "I'm sorry!" She turned toward Rufus, curling a smile on her face. "Reno, right? Acts like there's nothing to worry about, quite the entertaining character? Eh heh…"

Rufus slightly narrowed his head, and tapped his index and middle finger on his wheelchair arm twice. Almost instantly to the President's discreet tapping, Rude stepped forward, and wrapped his fingers around the arms of the wheelchair. "Reno, Cissnei! We move out." He took several steps toward the door, and stopped just short of opening it. "That includes you, Marlene." Rude swiveled the wheelchair to the other side of his body and backed up to the door instead, opening it with his back.

"Heh. Sorry, babe. Gotta go, yo!" Reno playfully saluted Marlene, placing his right hand at his forehead, and swept it out into the air. He looked left, and then right, then turned, running toward the door. "Hey! Wait up, yo!" He called out to his longtime Turk buddy, Rude.

Cissnei let out a sigh, and shook her head as Reno took off after Rude and Rufus. "Hey, don't feel down, okay? It's not worth getting all upset over his behavior. He's…quite immature. Much beyond your age, too!" She walked up behind the ribboned brunette, and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's go! There's quite a bit to inform you about before we reach the headquarters." Cissnei nodded, walking past Marlene.

Letting out a deep sigh, Marlene shook off how Reno just brushed her off. Yeah, it was stupid for the girl to even want to gain the love of someone over twice her age. It couldn't be that bad though, he acted younger than the girl. Marlene continued to stare at the ground, letting her feet fall heavy on the ground, staying in her thinking trance until she bumped into Cissnei. "Oof! Cissnei! I'm sorry, I was—" the twenty one year old tilted her head to the side, wondering why Cissnei didn't respond.

The red-headed female placed her right hand over her ear, looking to the side to watch Marlene from the corner of her eye. "Responding. Acknowledged. Okay, proceeding to the destination, over." She turned toward Marlene, removing her hand from over her ear, and smiled. "Okay! How about that air-lift, hm?" She grabbed Marlene's hand, and gave it a gentle tug. Women…always having to hold hands!

Cissnei stopped several feet in front of the ShinRa Helicopter, and returned her right hand over her ear, still holding Marlene's hand with her left. "Is the President secured? Alright! Boarding, over." Letting go of Marlene's hand, she jumped up on a step covering the bottom of the entire helicopter, and held onto the door with her right hand, holding her left hand out to Marlene. "Come on! As scary as it is to have Reno flying us, he's a really good pilot!" Cissnei continued to hold her hand out toward Marlene.

"I…don't have any doubts about that." Marlene smiled, taking a firm hold of Cissnei's hand, and was hoisted up into the strange shaped vehicle. Even to this day, the rather young brunette, compared to the ages of everyone in the helicopter, had always been fascinated by these objects that were able to travel through the air. Airships, helicopters, and even birds.


	4. Tactical Forces

Authors Note: I do not own any Final Fantasy VII, or remake, characters, nor do I WANT to own them. Nomura most likely worked his ass off coming up with the character concepts. Anyway! Summary cap of chapter two, if you're too damn lazy to read -__-

Marlene meets the Turks. Er, some of them, at least!

* * *

Reno looked over at his buddy, Rude, and waited for the 'thumbs up' to take off. Rude kneeled down, and tightened the straps around the President's wheelchair, and tried to roll the wheels, just to make sure it was secure. He looked back to Cissnei, who nodded her head that everyone was boarded and secured. Rude walked over to the door, and slit it shut, then grabbed four head-gear from a latch beside the door, and handed one to Cissnei, and the other to the President. He then sat down in the front, and handed one to Reno, and placed the other over his own head.

Each person placed the head-gear over their head, and adjusted the microphone, and then the earpieces. Reno and Rude grabbed the six-way safety harness and strapped themselves in. Reno wrapped both his hands around the joystick that maneuvered the helicopter, and held his thumb over the ignition button.

"Reno, check."

"Rude, check."

"Cissnei, check."

"Mhm…" Rufus chuckled at how everyone kept the same system, even after all of these years… "Check."

The red-headed man smiled; he always loved piloting this thing. He pressed his thumb down hard on the button, the blades above started to spin slowly, but eventually spun faster and faster, drowning out sound with a noisy swishing sound. About five minutes into the helicopter's blades spinning, he finally eased the joystick like device back, causing the aircraft to smoothly lift into the air.

Cissnei glanced at Marlene, noticing she didn't have any head-gear. How on earth was she supposed to explain things to the girl if she couldn't hear? "Woah, Reno! I can't talk to Marlene—she doesn't have a headset!" The woman placed her hand hard against the right earpiece, looking over her shoulder at the pilot and navigator, and then toward the President.

"Hey, man. It's not up to me who gets what. I just fly…" Reno slightly shook his head, and looked toward Rude, giving a slight smile. "We can't wait any longer, yo!" He held his left arm out, and motioned his hand, pointing below. "We're off!" Returning his hands around the joystick, he tilted it to the right, causing the helicopter to slightly tilt, and fly off in the direction that Reno pointed the device.

With a sigh, Cissnei turned toward Marlene, and held her hand out, gesturing for her to wait a moment, then ran over to a window built into the side of the helicopter. She looked below, and saw a dark-haired brunette and spikey blonde staring up at them. "Woah, check it out! They look pretty upset!" She turned back toward Marlene, and shook her head, giving off a small laugh, and then pressed her hand against her right earpiece. "Rufus, sir. Would you mind if Marlene used your headset? I was going to explain some things to her on a different frequency, but we only carry four headsets."

Rufus barely nodded, and slid his head gear off, keeping his face hidden behind the white blanket thrown over his body, and held the device out for Cissnei to take.

She rushed over and grabbed the head gear, and yelled out, hoping he could hear. "Thank you, sir! It's much appreciated!" She then ran toward Marlene, and handed her the head gear, and motioned for the girl to place it over her head with hand signs. As soon as Marlene had it comfortably over her head and well adjusted, Cissnei pressed a discreet grey button on Marlene's head gear three times, and repeated the process on her own head gear. She then pressed her right hand hard over the headpiece. "Can you hear me?"

All the brunette did was nod. "Hey! You'll have to speak, okay? We're on a completely different frequency from the guys up there. While you're changing…" she reached over and picked up a brown package held shut with a dainty brown rope. "You were supposed to receive this after your surgery recovery, but someone stole you from the operation. It's your SOLDIER uniform, in sorts. While changing, I'll be explaining some things."

Marlene's eyebrows slightly pressed downward as she grabbed the brown package and pulled it in toward her body. "Okay…" She looked around the air-born vehicle, and finally spotted a door that resembled a bathroom, and headed toward it. She turned the handle, and opened the door. Marlene stared into the empty room, which was extremely tiny. _No mirror, toilet, counter… HOW is this a bathroom?! _ "Um…Cissnei? This bathroom doesn't have any, uh, anything in it."

"Huh? Oh, silly me! This helicopter was remodeled for ShinRa official use. We kept the bathroom compartment, but removed everything in it. It's just a changing station for now. You should have enough room to get undressed and change. I'll fix any loose ends, ok?"

Marlene sighed, and turned back to the door making sure it was locked. She slightly tugged on it, making sure it was secured. _Well…here it goes._

Marlene placed her hands at the bottom of her sweater, and pulled it up over her shoulders and head, letting it drop on the floor. Then, she grabbed an organic belt, and gave it a slight tug, letting it fall to the ground as well. She placed her right foot on the back of her left shoe and kicked it off, and repeated but kicked off the left shoe. She stared down her half naked body, and placed her hands on her legs, quickly rubbing up and down, shivering. She glanced over at the brown package, and unwrapped it, pulling out the garments.

It contained two shoulder guards, dark green military pants, black sweater, heavy-duty military boots, and…a strap? Marlene shrugged, unsure of what the strap went to. "Uh, Cissnei? What goes on first?"

Cissnei was at the front of the helicopter, and had one hand on the back of Rude's seat, and the other on the back of Reno's. Her microphone was lifted up so it was parallel to her face, and muted. She noticed Reno's lips move, and quickly moved her ear beside his face, and moved the earpiece covering her ear. She gave the red-headed man a smile, and nodded her head, laughing at his joke. _Huh? Oh! _She quickly replaced the earpiece over her ear, and readjusted the microphone back in front of her mouth, and pressed her right hand on the earpiece so she could hear Marlene. "Um…I'd think that the sweater goes on first?" Cissnei shook her head, muted the microphone once more, and then uncovered her right ear, moving back to Reno. "Sorry! What were you saying?!" She had to raise her voice to compensate the loud helicopter blades.

The brunette grabbed the black sweater, staring at it for several seconds, and then held it up in the air, inspecting it closely. _Ugh! It's so dark and…colorless! Sigh. It looks just like Cloud's…_ She shrugged, and pulled it over her shoulders, folding over the turtleneck collar, and then looked down, staring at the length of the sweater. It reached down to about her mid-thigh. Either it was too long, or this was to ensure that SOLDIER's tucked in their shirts. Next, Marlene grabbed the dark green military pants that had straps built into the pants right below the knee. They looked just like Cloud's as well, except the placement of the knee straps. She pulled on the pants, making sure the sweater stayed beneath the bottom garment, zipped, and then buttoned them.

She then grabbed her skirt, and wrapped it back around her waist, buckling back into place. It fell just above her knees. She shrugged, hoping her new apparel was okay."Hrm. Cissnei, I need help with some things!"

Marlene slid her feet into the boots, and opened the bathroom door without tying them, and scooped up the shoulder guards and strap in her arms, leaving her old clothes on the ground. "I need help getting thes—" She looked around the immediate area, not spotting the red-head. Marlene took a step forward just as the door to the bathroom slammed shut, making a clean tear on her skirt. Now, half of the skirt was at her thigh, and the other half still remained at her knees. "Agh!"

Cissnei quickly whipped around, and saw the young female looking around for her, and tried to discreetly slip around in front of her, but failed. Once Marlene spotted her, she turned around, and acted like she was checking to make sure Rufus and Rude were okay, while repositioning her head gear and unmuting her microphone. "Sorry about that, Marlene. Uh…they wanted to ask me something. What's the problem?"

"I…don't know what this goes to, or how to secure the…er…these things." First, the girl held up the strap in her left hand, and then held up the shoulder guards by the straps in her right, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

Sighing, Cissnei shook her head. She pointed down at the helicopter floor with her index finger, and swirled it around, motioning for Marlene to turn around. The first thing she grabbed was the extra strap. "This thing right here, even though it seemed stupid, is to promote posture. It forces you to keep your back straight by pulling on your shoulders. I think it looks uncomfortable, but whatever Rufus, sir, wants, he gets." She pressed on the clamp at the bottom of the strap, and placed it at the back of the military pants. At the top of the strap was a circular device.

Next, Cissnei took the left shoulder guard and pulled it on over Marlene's left arm and up to her shoulder. She grabbed the end of the strap attached to Marlene's pants and brought it up to the middle of her back, and hooked up the left shoulder guard to the circular device, and let it just hang where it was. Then, she grabbed the right shoulder guard, and slid it over Marlene's right arm and up to her right shoulder, repeating the process. After everything was hooked into place, she returned back behind Marlene, and pressed a button on the circular device, causing the straps to tighten, and Marlene to stand perfectly straight. Then, she turned the button to the right with her thumb, causing it to lock into place. "Alright, you're all set! Any questions?"

The girl stared at the floor of the helicopter for several seconds, then looked up at Cissnei, letting out a sigh as she was forced to stand up straight. "Yeah. How come you don't have to wear this wacky deal?"

Cissnei quirked an eyebrow, and stared at Marlene for several seconds. She felt Reno bring the helicopter to a stop, and go quiet as soon as Marlene had asked her question. Rude looked over his shoulder toward the direction of the two girls, and Reno let out a loud laugh.

The red-haired man pressed a center button on his six-point restraint, allowing it to reel back into the seat. He stood, rolling his shoulders around, letting them pop. He looked down at his own suit, unbuttoned, as usual. Then, he looked over at Marlene, now in a classic SOLDIER uniform. "Heh. Why someone would go into that place, I don't know. Whatever, man." She shook his head, and motioned for Rude to follow him as soon as his friend released himself from his own safety harness.

Marlene narrowed her eyes at Reno's comment until he left, and then looked back at Cissnei, waiting for an answer.

Rufus shook his head as Rude had left him in the helicopter with the girls. He was completely capable of wheeling himself out, but it was the fact that he was used to luxury. "There's a huge difference between a SOLDIER and a Turk." His emotionless face twisted into a grin as he explained the two forced from one another.

"SOLDIER is a tactical fighting force. They're trained to do nothing but fight. Whereas Turks are a training tactical…tactic force. They use their brains to out maneuver the enemy, to gain intelligence. That sort of thing."

"Then why you need SOLDIER if Turks sound so much better?" Marlene stared at the President as he released the brakes on his wheels, and took the restraints off of his wheels, and wheel himself toward the helicopter door via the joystick.

"Hmph. In a jist of words, Turks are the brains, and SOLDIER is the muscle. You'll be trained harshly, to the extent of your capabilities and beyond. Let's hope your training doesn't backfire." He shook his head, and continued to roll out of the helicopter and down the ramp, toward the entrance of the ShinRa Headquarters.

Cissnei sighed, and took off her head gear and Marlene's, and placed it on the rack next to the door of the metal object. "Come on, Marlene. Your training starts soon."


	5. Our Heroes

Authors Note: I do not own any Final Fantasy VII, or remake, characters, nor do I WANT to own them. Nomura most likely worked his ass off coming up with the character concepts. Anyway! Summary cap of chapter three, if you're too damn lazy to read -__-

Hm. Marlene changed clothes, and was explained the difference between Turks and SOLDIER.

* * *

Rude and Reno stood at the doorway, side by side, arguing who would go in first.

"Hey, man. . .you forgot the President!" Reno playfully shoved Rude back, and dove toward the door, just knowing that probably set off the man.

Rude stumbled back from the shove, and quickly regained his composure. Just as he stood straight, and tightened his tie to look formal, Rufus rolled by, giving the man a slight head-shake. As Rufus rolled in, Cissnei trailed behind him, and stopped shortly, standing in front of the door, slightly shaking her head. "It's one thing to disrespect the President, but to forget your duties? Boy, oh boy! You two need to straighten up!" She gave the bald man a playful punch on the chest, and continued inside, making sure that Marlene followed.

As soon as the two girls entered the room, Marlene scanned the room, a smile gathering upon her face. It had been a long time since she had ever been swooned by the way a room appeared. "Wah-hoh!" The floor looked as if it were just buffed—no scuffs, creepily reflective, and slippery. Her eyes moved to the center of the room, and immediately caught attention to the three-tier fountain made and white and pink marble. The water was nice and clear, but appeared to have a strange look to it. From time to time it would glow green or blue, then revert back to clear.

She took several steps, staring down at the floor from time to time to catch her reflection on the floor. _Huh?_ She stared at the floor, noticing several picture frames hanging on the wall. Each looked the same, except the first two. They definitely appeared different. She read the labels above each picture, noting the hair color as well. _Silver—first class, Red—first class, Black—first class, Black—first class. They're all first class…_ She turned toward Cissnei, and pointed at the pictures. "Who are they?"

"Hm? Oh, those…" She chuckled, and stared off into the direction of the pictures. Rufus, sir, says they're the heroes of SOLDIER., in order that they joined. They have name plates and what-not, but it's rather small. The first is Sephiroth. He was strong. I do believe he was the only one to make it to level ninety nine training. He turned into a monster, though…"

"A monster?" Marlene stared up at the picture of the long-haired white man. In the picture he wore a leather coat, his chest clearly visible. His eyes were a gentle blue, and he gave a gentle. He wore shoulder guards similar to Marlene's but they looked like they were made of metal. The frame of the picture was long enough to reach to just below his knee. "Agh!" She stared at the sword which extended quite a ways, even off of the picture. _It…looks like that one person. K…something._

Cissnei smiled at the sound Marlene let out. "Amazed at his sword, huh? It was much longer than his body, by several feet, in fact. He…eventually turned evil." She stared out of the corner of her eye, and lowered her head, staring off at the ground. "

"There were a lot of battles, weren't there?" The brunette stared back up at the picture of Sephiroth, staring at it with a slightly puzzled look. "How can someone who looks so nice be able to summon something like Meteor?"

"I don't know…" Cissnei shook her head, partly flashing back to when the Turks were assigned to hunt down their own comrades after Sephiroth had gone mad. "The…next is Genesis." She pointed at the man with red hair and a red leather coat. "He was fairly powerful, too. Almost an equal to Sephiroth. I think he made it to level ninety nine training, too…but missed a minor mission objective."

Rufus rolled up beside the two girls admiring the pictures of the formal First Class SOLDIERS. "Sephiroth destroyed all minor enemies and bosses. Even though he took the long was of completing things, he was able to finish the mission in less than five minutes. Definitely a record.

"Whereas Genesis only killed the major enemies—the bosses, if you will. That was only about five enemies, compared to the thirty or so Sephiroth took out. Even though Genesis lowered his work load, it still took him a good fifteen minutes to complete the mission…every time." He shook his head, allowing his white blanket to slip over from his head, revealing dirty blonde hair. "It was a shame to lose such powerful SOLDIERs in the way we did. One went mad, and the other deteriorated…such a waste."

He then pointed to Angeal and Zack, at the same time. "Angeal. He died about twenty years ago…and at the same time, he died only sixteen years ago. He was in the process of mentoring Zack into a First Class SOLDIER, when he abandoned SOLDIER. Hmph. I'm not at liberty to discuss this with you, however."

"Uh…Sir? You sound like you've had a busy day. Perhaps you should go down, and let me finish explaining?" The red headed female placed her hand on Rufus' shoulder, nodding her head toward the elevator that lead to the staff member quarters. "Please, sir. We can't have our President energy deprived. "

He sighed, and rolled his shoulders, then wrapped his right hand around the joystick on his wheel, and eased himself toward the elevator door and stopped. "Cissnei! Only what's needed, and no more! You have eight minutes to bring her to her quarters and go to your own, understood?" Rufus waited for a nod from Cissnei, then continued toward the elevator, and continued down toward the restricted area of the ShinRa Headquarters, only accessible by the President—his quarters.

With a nod, Cissnei turned back toward Marlene, then back to the picture of Zack. She seemed to stare at it for an eternity, and gradually let her eyes fall to the ground. Her usual upbeat voice had a sense of despair to it. "That was…Zack Fair. He died sixteen years ago. That weapon…" She stared at how Zack stood. His was almost parallel to the border of the frame, and facing in a portfolio manner. He held the Buster Sword out, the classic battle stance, but his face was turned toward the camera, with a smile. _I never even…got to tell you my real name. Sky eyes._

She clenched her jaw, and tightened her eyes shut, fighting off tears threatening to stream down her cheeks. She then changed her attention to the picture of Angeal. Instead of wielding the Buster Sword, he kept it firmly planted on his back, but merely grabbed the hilt of the rather large blade. His face was placid and serious, and his eyes narrowed. "…it's called the Buster Sword. It was passed down from Angeal to Zack."

"To Cloud, too!" Marlene slightly leaned forward, and stared at Cissnei. _She sounds sad…_ "Cloud's missing. He was a First Class SOLDIER. Why isn't he up there?"

"What are you talking about?" _Cloud? Who's Clou—our targets! We were assigned to track down and capture two runaway experiments. It was Zack Fair and…Cloud? _"There…was never a Cloud in SOLDIER."

_What? But…all those stories! He told me all these stories of going on missions. Of battling monsters. Saving Tifa… I wanted to be like him…a hero._ _I can't bel—_

Cissnei grabbed Marlene's hand, and tugged her out of her trance, forcing an upbeat voice. "Come on! I think I've got about two minutes to get us two to our quarters!" She smiled, and gently tugged Marlene toward the elevator.


	6. Everything's All Right Now

Authors Note: I do not own any Final Fantasy VII, or remake, characters, nor do I WANT to own them. Nomura most likely worked his ass off coming up with the character concepts. Anyway! Summary cap of chapter four, if you're too damn lazy to read -__- Also, this is the final chapter to the story! ~_~ Unless I get some serious hate-comment saying "OMG! I hated that ending!" or "OMG! Give us some random fight scene!"

Marlene meets the heroes of SOLDIER.

* * *

The doors to the level fifty two training room shot open, and out emerged Marlene. Even after four long years, her appearance remained pretty much the same. The bottom of her once beautiful velvet floral patterned skirt was torn to bits. Whether it was from an enemy grabbing the base of it to try and stop her, or from a branch lashing out at it, it now was mangled and torn.

She took in a deep breath and sighed. No longer did she wield the Buster Sword—the day of her first training, Cloud requested a visitor pass with her. The first thing he did was request to see his customized blade. Soon after he gained it, he handed Marlene a large object with brown packaging paper wrapped around it, and left…

_Cloud stood at the counter of ShinRa Headquarters. He wasn't here to stop Marlene from staying with SOLDIER, no. If this is what the girl wanted, then this is what the girl would get. In his right hand he held an object that reached to the top of his head when resting on the ground. It was wrapped with brown packaging paper, and held closed by dainty twine. The woman at the counter refused to allow him to enter for several seconds, but eventually allowed the blonde through._

_Cloud was able to enter the SOLDIER quarters with his visitor pass. ShinRa was being rebuilt, which meant Marlene was the only SOLDIER. Her mentor was Rufus. Other than that, everything she did was on her own. "Hey…how you been?"_

_Marlene looked up, and spotted Cloud. Why he was here, she didn't know. "Cloud!" She quickly stood up, and ran to him for a hefty embrace, but was stopped by Cloud holding up his hand. _

"_Is it alright if I see the Buster Sword?" He pointed to the grand piece of sword-technology leaning against the wall, out of its' sheathe. As Marlene nodded and ran to get his custom sword, he allowed the object in his hand to silently fall on the floor, and he propped it up against the wall._

_Marlene nodded and turned, running toward the weapon she had yet to use. In fact, she didn't even ask Cloud if she was allowed to take it…just assumed he would because she was trained of how to use it when it battle, how to complete it, about its components, and all that jazz. Still, she was barely able to lift it with just one hand. Wrapping both hands around the hilt of the blade, she lifted the sword up, but still had to nearly drag it across the linoleum floor to Cloud. "Here you go, da…Cloud." She looked away, trying to hide the blushing from the mistake she almost made._

_Cloud quirked an eyebrow, confused at why she looked away. He grabbed the multi-functional sword from Marlene's hand, and immediately placed it in it's' sheathe. He then grabbed the brown-wrapped object, and shoved it into the girls' hand. Not even giving her time to react to the object shoving, or even to allow her to unwrap it, he turned for the door, and began to leave. As he left, he turned his head toward Marlene, waving his hand to her. "You owe me ten thousand gil."_

Marlene slightly closed her eyes, resting for a brief second. She took in a deep breath, and grabbed the hilt of the blade Cloud had bought her. Etched on it was _don't let us stop your dreams. – Cloud, Tifa_. She tightened her grip around the hilt, and then replaced it back to her back. The blade floated on her back, or looked like it, due to the strong magnets built into the circular device that kept her posture straight."Let's…pay off that debt."

She made her way toward the debriefing room. That's where President Rufus was usually found. The doors slid open, and Marlene made her way in, and stood behind Rufus. "Rufus, sir? May I…what?!"

_In recent events, Wutai Soldiers were spotted setting flame to the well and renowned Seventh Heaven Bar located in the Slums. From this building, the Strife Delivery Service also takes place. It is currently unknown whether or not there are any survivors. _

Marlene let out a shriek, and quickly sprinted toward the doors. "I'm sorry, Sir! I have to go!" She ran out the doors, and sprinted down the hallway toward the elevator leading to the train station. Several guards pointed a rifle at her from surprise, but quickly relaxed as they noticed it was just a SOLDIER.

Even though she was a good yard or two away from the elevator, she shouted down the hall at the guard standing next to the elevator. "Call the elevator. Now!" The guard looked at her for several seconds, waiting for her to get closer. Marlene knew it would take a good moment or two if she didn't call it until she got there. "I don't care what you think, call it NOW, damn it!" The guard quickly pressed the call button. Just as the SOLDIER reached the doors of the elevator, they shut open, and she mashed the close doors button and ground floor repeatedly until the elevator moved.

It seemed like it was taking forever for the elevator to move from floor to floor until it reached the ground floor. Ding! 49. Ding! 32. Ding! 30. "Come on! I don't have time for this…" She mashed her index finger on the ground level button, and held it there, tightening her eyes shut. It felt as if time seemed to stop. Ding! Marlene jumped at the noise, loathing at the fact she had to look at the number. She slightly opened one eye, just enough to make out the bottom of the numbers. "6…0…U? Wait, Ground!" She darted out of the doors as they began to shut, causing her foot to get jammed between the glass doors until she was able to wriggle free.

Once Marlene was able to reach the train station, she dug in her pocket, pulling out a ShinRa First Class SOLDIER identification card. "Stop the train! SOLDIER—First Class! I need to go to the slums, immediately." The ticket-man slightly shook his head, and gave her a shrug. "I'm sorry, miss. I can't stop it now…you can probably make the caboose, but—"

Without any further explanation, Marlene ran toward the entrance gate, and placed her hand against the railings, and jumped over the circular device that was locked into place until it was buzzed open. She ran after the train, and leapt toward it. Her hands caught the railing, but her body crashed against the side of the train. It took all of her might to pull or body over the railing and onto the firm floor of the train.

"Wait, miss! You have to pay!" the ticket-man quickly thrust his hand under the counter, readying to push a silent alarm that was trip sensors in the train to stop at the next station and be searched for valid signatures.

"Stop! Take it up with the President of ShinRa! Please…" Marlene stared at the ticket-man for several seconds before shaking her head, turning around, and walking inside the train. It wouldn't reach the slums until a good twenty minutes. So much damage would be dealt to the building by the time she was able to get there. _I can't be late. Heroes are never late!_

The train eventually rolled to a stop, and the conductor rose from his seat, checking for ticket stubs from the passengers disembarking. _No, no!_ She quickly turned around to head out the back, but quickly sat back down as she saw someone enter from behind, checking for ticket stubs of those already boarded. As the extra conductor approached her, she closed her eyes, hoping he would skip her, but he didn't.

"Miss, are you getting off here, or staying?"

She kept her eyes closed, hoping for a miracle. "I'm…getting off at the slums." The conductor quirked an eyebrow at the girl, and stepped out of the way, allowing for a path to the back of the train. The conductor gave a slight smile. His hair was black and spikey, but seemed to be brushed back. His eyes were blue with a green rim around his pupil, and he had a small 'x' scar on the skin over his jaw.

"Well, go on. It's your stop."

Marlene quickly stood up, and gave the conductor a quick bow, and ran outside, hopping down on the platform outside. Almost immediately as she landed on the platform, she started running toward the direction of the bar, but stopped, and turned around to thank the conductor. The train was already a good ways down the tracks. _I didn't even hear it start back up…and where's that man?_ Trailing from the train was several blue and green streams of light, dissipating into the air as they whisked away from the train.

The girl slightly smiled, and bowed her head off in the direction of the train, then turned, sprinting off toward the slums. _Thank you…Zack. I know that was you._ She ran past the Church, which had been remodeled greatly over the last seventeen years. Past the playground, which now had an additional slide and swing set, and now a set of monkey bars. She entered the slums, the flames encasing the Seventh Heaven Bar catching her attention immediately. "Cl... Ti…" she bit her bottom lip hard, and raced off toward the building, fighting back her tears and anger.

As she neared the building, all she could read on the entrance sign was '—v—th –v—' before the chains gave way and snapped, causing the sign to fall upon the ground and crumble into a million little pieces. _1…2…3!_ Marlene rushed through the doorway, a burst of burning hot air and flames slashing up at her. She quickly jumped out of the way, flailing her arms around from the flame that scorched off some of the hair on her arms. She heard a tumble upstairs, and quickly darted behind the counter and up to the second floor.

Cloud held one of Tifa's polearms in his hands, and swung down at a Wutai soldier, missing by a long shot. He was covered in third degree burns, blisters, scrapes, stabs. You name it, it was there. Just as he turned, and spotted the brunette with a ribbon in her hair. A smile somehow made a way across his face as his old eyes settled in on his face. "Mar—" A foundation to the ceiling suddenly collapsed, crushing down on Cloud.

Within the foundation that collapsed was scorching nails, spikey broken pieces of wood, and fire. Each element stabbed into Cloud's flesh, sending him through a barrage of pain and shock.

Marlene screamed, and rushed over toward her father figure, and neared her hands toward the beam that fell upon him, but quickly jerked her hands away from the heat. "I…I can't…"

All the man did was shake his head weakly. He slowly reached into a pocked hidden beneath his skirt-like garment, and pulled out a set of keys, and attempted to toss them toward the girl. The keys barely even left his hand, and hit the floor, skidding slightly. "Fen…rir. Sword."

Marlene quickly scooped up the keys in her hands, staring at them. There were three keys. One clearly went to the Fenrir, the bulky custom motorcycle sitting outside of the bar. Another possible went to the bar, and the third? "The Materia chest!" She averted her attention back to Cloud, watching as he slipped into shock. "I'll hel—"

A shady figure, who looked around thirty, swung in through the window, and wrapped his arms around the girls waist. Before she was able to react, and ran backward, leaping out of the window, and positioned his body so they would come crashing down on his back.

Just as the middle-aged people seemed to fly out of the window, the roof of the building collapsed to the ground. The random assortments of alcoholic beverages on the ground floor caused the flames to double. The bottles containing the liquid exploded, causing several fireballs to rupture around the building.

Marlene shot a glare at the person who jerked her out of the window and stared in shock. He had dirty-blonde hair that looked brown that grew out to his shoulders, with a shaggy look. His eyes were blue, like Cloud's. Her eyes slightly widened at the apparel he was in. A dark blue uniform, white shirt, and black tie. His sunglasses had been thrown off during the fall. The man eventually returned the stare, and looked at his childhood friend.

"Den…Denzel?" Marlene started to tear as she recognized her friend who had gone missing nine years ago. "Where…"

A gentle voice suddenly rang out through Marlene's ears and the building seemed to stop exploding. It now rested in a smoldering pile of rubble.

_You see? Everything's…all right, now._

Marlene quickly shot her vision back to the rubble, several beams of blue and green light reaching out from one spot. The beams seemed to reach up to the sky before they faded away. It took the girl several moments to realize what she had just witnessed. "That's the Lifestream… The Lifestream? The Lifestream!" She let out a scream, and jumped to her feet, running toward the rubble.

Life seemed to slow down tremendously as Marlene ran toward the point the Lifestream beams came from. As she screamed, it sounded to her as if it trailed off and echoed for an eternity. "Clooouuuud!"


End file.
